Wellington, New South Wales
| latd =32 |latm =33 |lats =0 | longd =148 |longm =56 |longs =0 | maxtemp = 24.3 | mintemp = 9.4 | rainfall = 618.4 | stategov = Orange | fedgov = Parkes | dist1 = 360 | dir1 = WNW | location1= Sydney | dist2 = 49 | dir2 = SE | location2= Dubbo | dist3 = 100 | dir3 = N | location3= Orange | dist4 = 92 | dir4 = W | location4= Mudgee }} Wellington is a town in inland New South Wales, Australia located at the junction of the Macquarie and Bell Rivers. The town is the administrative centre of the Wellington Shire local government area. The town is 362 kilometres from Sydney on the Great Western Highway and Mitchell Highway. At the 2011 census, Wellington had a population of 4,540. History The area was originally occupied by the Wiradjuri people. Explorer John Oxley was the first European to discover the area in 1817 and named it "Wellington Valley" after Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington. Wellington was originally established in 1823 by Lieutenant Percy Simpson in early 1823 as an agricultural station. Squatters started settling along the Macquarie Valley and in 1832 CMS was established in the settlement to teach Christianity to the Aboriginal people of the area. The convict settlement ceased in 1831 but a village called Montefiores was established on the north side of the Macquarie River crossing. The Town of Wellington was gazetted in 1846. On 20 March 1885, Wellington was proclaimed a town. Wellington Shire Council was established in 1949. Wellington is the second oldest New South Wales settlement west of the Blue Mountains. One of its hotels, the Lion of Waterloo, established by Nicolas Hyeronimus in 1842, is the oldest operating west of the Blue Mountains, and is near the location of the last recorded duel fought on Australian soil in 1854. The railway from Sydney reached Wellington in 1880. As a regional centre Wellington benefited by the development of the gold mining industry in the district from the 1850s. Initially this was working alluvial deposits of gold but later focused on the mining of quartz reefs. Among the mining districts was Mitchells Creek located 8 miles to the north east near the present day town of Bodangora.Osborne, Idle 1975 Annual Report Compilation, Wellington Division – Dubbo Sheet 1875-1974, Department of Mines NSW, ARC080. Economy and demographics Wellington is the centre of rich agricultural land. While lucerne and vegetables are grown on lands on the river, wheat, wool, fat lambs and beef cattle are grown on surrounding pastures. In 2011, Wellington had a population of 4,540, while the population of the surrounding shire is 9200. The town acts as a commercial centre for the district; however, Wellington has been supplanted in commercial importance by Orange and Dubbo. In September 2008, the Wellington Correctional Centre was opened. A Probation and Parole Office was also opened in the centre of town. Wellington Council hopes this will stimulate economic growth in the area, due to increasing employment opportunities and the need for non-locals to utilise Wellington facilities. Anne Jones is the town mayor, elected in March 2004, along with her deputy Mayor Michael Augee. The local newspaper The Wellington Times, a Rural Press title, is published three times a week with a circulation in the region of around 1000. Climate In January, the average minimum temperature in the town is 16.9 °C and the average maximum is 32.9 °C, while in July the average minimum is 2.2 °C and the average maximum is 15.2 °C. }} Transport links The town is served by twice a day the daily Countrylink XPT service which runs between Sydney and Dubbo and return. The train stops heading to Dubbo at 12:58pm and heading to Sydney at 2:47pm. The closest commercial airport is that of Dubbo. Qantaslink and Regional Express Airline service the airport three-five times daily from Sydney. A small airport (Bondangora Airport) for private planes exists twelve kilometres east of Wellington. Nearby attractions Lake Burrendong, a man-made lake. is located 30 kilometres south of the town. Its capacity is three and a half times that of Sydney Harbour and supplies water for irrigation schemes downstream. It is also a popular location for anglers, sailors and water skiers. Burrendong Arboretum is a sanctuary for endangered Australian flora and covers 1.60 km². The nearby Wellington Caves feature the Cathedral Cave with the massive Altar Rock. The Wellington Boot, a country racing festival is held in March and April annually. The Bell River Wine Estate is nearby as is the Nangara Gallery, it has a collection of Aboriginal artefacts. Notable residents * Ben Austin — Paralympian, grew up in Wellington * Max Cullen — actor * Terry Fahey — former rugby league player for South Sydney Rabbitohs, Eastern Suburbs and Canberra Raiders * Blake Ferguson — NRL player for the Canberra Raiders, played junior Rugby League with the Wellington Cowboys * Nicolas Hyeronimus — pioneering innkeeper, merchant, pastoralist and inaugural MLA for Wellington * Colleen McCullough — author, born in Wellington * Ian O'Brien — Olympic gold medallist in the 200m breaststroke at the 1964 Summer Olympics, grew up in Wellington References External links * Visit Wellington - Official website promoting regional tourism and local attractions * About Wellington and District * Travel Mate page * Wellington Gateway Sculpture Innovative environmental sculpture and town gateway by project artist Fran Ferguson and team, constructed 1993-1995 Category:Towns in New South Wales Category:Towns in the Central West (New South Wales)